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Toll-like receptors that activate immune cells being developed as alternative cure to cancer

A Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist, called imiquimod, which activates dendritic cells, is in clinical use as a topical application for basal cell carcinoma. In addition, a number of TLR agonists have been evaluated in clinical trials as an adjuvant for cancer vaccines.

16 Sep 2009

Research study investigates survival rates of prostate cancer patients across time periods

New research to be published in tomorrow's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (Vol. 302, No. 11), by a team at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), shows that men diagnosed with prostate cancer beginning in the early 1990's had significantly improved survival outcomes compared with patients whose cancers were diagnosed in prior decades.

16 Sep 2009

Study reveals ineffectiveness of insulin and metformin against inflammatory biomarkers

In patients with recent onset type-2 diabetes, treatment with insulin or the diabetes drug metformin did not reduce inflammatory biomarkers, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, although the treatment did improve glucose control, according to a study in the September 16 issue of JAMA.

16 Sep 2009

Cardiac MRI exams gain prominence in the medical imaging market

Developments in imaging technology and software continue to help cardiac MRI exams gain prominence in the medical imaging market by meeting the demand for faster scan times and the ability to view areas of the body that were previously deemed impossible to image, according to "Medical Imaging Markets: MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and Ultrasound" by healthcare market research firm Kalorama Information.

16 Sep 2009

Mobetron portable radiation therapy system for breast cancer treatment

One minute of radiation in the operating room (OR) could save the lives of thousands of women being treated for breast cancer in the US today. According to a growing body of research, a 60-second course of radiation therapy delivered during surgery dramatically improves results. But, until recently, logistical and administrative difficulties prevented most patients from receiving this crucial treatment until weeks after their procedures.

16 Sep 2009

NCI-funded SPORE grant aims to improve kidney cancer treatment

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) an $11.5 million, five-year SPORE grant to focus on cancers of the kidney. Michael Atkins, MD, Deputy Director of BIDMC's Division of Hematology/Oncology, will oversee the grant, which involves collaborations with Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital via the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.

16 Sep 2009

New peptide-based cancer vaccine tested in genital cancer patients

Preventive vaccination against infectious diseases has been a major milestone for the health of modern society. The development of therapeutic vaccination against established diseases is much more difficult. For more than 100 years researchers have already tried to develop cancer vaccines and now first promising clinical results raise hopes. A summary of the most attractive new approaches gave Professor Carmen Scheibenbogen, Institut für Medizinische Immunologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, at a press conference in Berlin.

16 Sep 2009

FDA approves BioVex' design of a Phase III clinical trial to evaluate OncoVEX

BioVex Inc, a biotechnology company developing clinical stage treatments for cancer and the prevention of infectious disease, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the design of a single, pivotal, Phase III clinical trial evaluating its lead product, OncoVEX (GM-CSF), for the first-line treatment of patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck.

15 Sep 2009

Targeted Molecular Diagnostics to offer digital pathology services in Beijing

Targeted Molecular Diagnostics (TMD), a Quintiles Central Laboratory, announced today the availability of digital pathology services in Beijing, China. The services add to Quintiles offerings used in the development of therapies to treat the world’s most pressing health issues, including cancer.

15 Sep 2009

miR-200 supression shifts primary lung cancer to metastatic disease

Primary lung cancer shifts to metastatic disease by suppressing a family of small molecules that normally locks the tumor in a noninvasive state, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the Sept. 15 edition of Genes and Development.

15 Sep 2009

New biological process stimulates the growth of blood vessels

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the College of Arts & Sciences have identified a new biological process that spurs the growth of new blood vessels.

15 Sep 2009

Diabetes drug and chemotherapy kill cancer stem cells in mice

In a one-two punch, a familiar diabetes drug reduced tumors faster and prolonged remission in mice longer than chemotherapy alone by targeting cancer stem cells, Harvard Medical School researchers reported in the September 14 online first edition of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

14 Sep 2009

Celldex commences dosing patients in Phase 1/2 study of its CDX-1401 vaccine candidate

Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDX) today announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1/2 study of its vaccine candidate, CDX-1401, in patients with malignant solid tumors that express NY-ESO-1. CDX-1401 is a fully human monoclonal antibody designed to selectively deliver the NY-ESO-1 antigen to dendritic cells to generate a robust immune response against cancer cells expressing NY-ESO-1.

14 Sep 2009

Calypso’s GPS for the Body technology installed at University Of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center

Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc., a developer of real-time localization technology used for the precise tracking of tumor targets, announced today that the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Baltimore, now offers the Calypso® System to provide accurate, precise, real-time tumor tracking for cancer patients undergoing external beam radiation therapy.

14 Sep 2009

IVIS Lumina XR in vivo imaging system from Caliper Life Sciences

Caliper Life Sciences, Inc., a leading provider of tools and services for drug discovery and life sciences research, today introduced the IVIS Lumina XR in vivo imaging system, the latest addition to the IVIS product family.

14 Sep 2009

Quest Diagnostics' OVA1 ovarian cancer test cleared by the FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today cleared the OVA1(TM) Test, the first blood test that, prior to surgery, can help physicians determine if a woman is at risk for a malignant pelvic mass. OVA1 is the first FDA-cleared laboratory test that can indicate the likelihood of ovarian cancer with high sensitivity prior to biopsy or exploratory surgery, even if radiological test results fail to indicate malignancy.

From Quest Diagnostics 14 Sep 2009

Special Projects Discovery Grant program launched for brain tumor diagnosis research

The American Brain Tumor Association has launched a new Special Projects Discovery Grant program to support fresh and creative research ideas for solving the challenges of brain tumor diagnosis and treatment.

14 Sep 2009

New method for detecting oxidative stress in tumor cells

The growth of cancerous tumors is fueled, at least in part, by the buildup of free radicals---highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules.

14 Sep 2009

Depression increases disease progression and mortality in cancer patients

Depression can affect a cancer patient's likelihood of survival. That is the finding of an analysis published in the November 15, 2009 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The results highlight the need for systematic screening of psychological distress and subsequent treatments.

14 Sep 2009

Health industry leaders optimistic on reform, though qualms remain

Industry analysts say insurers may not "have much to fear" from reform proposals, though the industry has been portrayed as "the system's main villains," the New York Times reports. Though Obama deployed several horror stories about insurers in his speech, he also said, "I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business," and minimized the importance of the Democrat-supported, insurer-feared public health insurance plan.

11 Sep 2009